Saint Seiya: The Gods of Egypt
by RickGiriamax
Summary: It has been several millenia since the Gods of Egypt, Asgard and Olympus ceased their war for supremacy. Now, a new conflict is about to begin in Egypt when old resentments awake the Gods' wrath against Olympus. Rated M for blood, violence and slight suggestive (but non-sexual!) situations. R&R!
1. Read First!

There are some things that must be kept in mind about this story before you start reading:

* (SPOLER ALERT) The story is supposed to be set immediately after they defeat Poseidon and before Seiya embarks to the Sancturay to get Aries Mu to repair his cloths at the begining of the Hades Arc. In the anime, there is no specific time mentioned during that period, so I thought it would be ok to fill in something there.

* I'm aware that there are already some Saints over the story that reffer to the Egyptian Gods and symbols; however the ones mentioned here don't have any relation to them, as you will soon realize.

* (FF SPOILER ALERT) Cloths are ranked by their resistance in Bronze, Silver and Gold. It doesn't mean that all armors made of gold will be as resistant as the ones that the 13 Gold Saints (if we count Ophiucus) wore. Remember that, in reality, gold is one of the weakest metals in the periodic table.

I'd like to take the chance to acknowledge my friends Jesus and Pedro, as my fellow Saint, _Koara no Loyax_, for being such helpfull beta readers, having pointed out several errors and inconsistencies before publishing.

**DISCLAIMER: **All Saint Seiya related content present in this story is copyrighted and/or registered trademarks of Masami Kurumada and Toei Animations.


	2. Prologue

Many thousands of years ago, before mankind ruled the Earth, the world was in the middle of a ferocious war. The armies of the Gods were fighting against each other for supremacy: Zeus, with the aid of his Olympians, struck down his enemies with his thunder; Odin, with his army of Asgardians, claimed rule from his golden halls; but the most ferocious army of all was that of Ra, father of the most resented God of all: Osiris.

Osiris, who had been murdered by his brother Set, and lost his throne as God of the Earth to be cast into ruling the dead, tried to assert his supremacy over Hades for the rule of the underworld, led the armies of his emissary, Anubis, and his jackal-headed warriors, against the armies of Olympus and Asgard.

After centuries of war Zeus, Odin and Ra decided to put a stop to their war and mark specific rule over their new creation: humankind. Zeus would rule from Olympus and its surroundings, from the land that would later be called Greece. Odin took rule of the Nordic regions, and sent his 7 divine warriors into the skies to protect Earth from the heavens, while Ra settled his rule over the dessert, in the country that would be known as Egypt.

For ages since the Gods have honored their treaty and shared domain of their common kingdoms; however, there was one that kept waiting for his moment to rule above all others.

Osiris always behaved with respect towards the laws instated by Ra, but always resented having lost part of the underworld to Hades. He didn't share Ra's idea of sharing the title of "God of the Sun" with the Olympian God Apollo, for instance. He knew also that he wasn't the only one, as he had heard other Gods such as his wife and sister, Isis; their son Horus; his other son and emissary, Anubis; and even his brother Set, murmur their discontent.

He had been waiting for millennia for his day to come, but he never expected it to come in such an unusual way, in the form of a young girl, the reincarnation of an Olympian Goddess: Athena.

"It's time" said Osiris to Anubis.

"We will finally reawake. The Olympus will fall to your hands, my father" replied Anubis.

"It's time then for the Temple to be found. Let us walk the Earth once more" said Osiris, sitting back in his throne.

* * *

><p>The archeological team from the Graude Foundation arrived into Giza right on schedule. They had been called by the local intelligence regarding strange phenomena occurring in the desert, a few miles away from the Great Pyramid. They discovered a large obelisk had emerged, entirely crafted in pure gold, with a door sealed by the Eye of Horus.<p>

They tried many times to open the door, but it just wouldn't budge. It opened on its own just at the moment that the Sun was aligned with the obelisk in a perfect 90º angle from the horizon. When the team entered the obelisk, they went down a spiral staircase into a room exquisitely crafted in gold; but the bigger prize were the armored statues all around the room.


	3. Chapter 1

"Are you sure about this?" asked one of the technicians from the Graude Foundation Intelligence.

"The report of the excavation is legit" replied another, looking at a computer screen. "It says here that the exploration team described a room fully lit at the bottom of the temple. They say that all around the room were golden statues of the most important Egyptian Gods, all of them clad in rich armor made of an unrecognizable metal. Apparently, one of the explorers tried to remove the helmet from the statue of Anubis and flew back like if struck by lightning. The same happened to sever others that tried to touch the other armors. They are still at the hospital."

"Contact Miss Kido, she is already on her way to Egypt to supervise the excavations by herself."

* * *

><p><strong>War! The Awakening of the Egyptian Gods<strong>

* * *

><p>Saori Kido got out of her private jet, followed closely by her faithful Saints: Seiya, Hyoga, Shun and Shiryu. It had been a few days since they had defeated Julian Solo, Poseidon's reincarnation, and they had decided to take the chance to go on a trip to Egypt, were Saori wanted to supervise the findings of her excavation team.<p>

She had received a report of a room that had been found below the new found temple, sealed with the emblem of the Eye of Horus. Before landing, she had received another report about armors found in that room, armors that represented some of the most important deities of Egypt.

They were now finishing settling down at the hotel in Giza, and Shun looked at the window, the Pyramid of Keops clearly visible from it.

"I never thought Egypt would feel so uncomfortable" complained Hyoga, still trying to rid his hair of sand.

"This is not Siberia, Hyoga" said Shun. "Egypt is a desert and you're used to cold climates. Try not to think about the sand and instead relish in the beautiful sight of the Egyptian skies."

"Easy for you to say" replied Hyoga. "The Island of Andromeda was rocks all over the place."

"Come on guys" intervened Seiya before Shun could retort. "Let's forget about the fighting and let's see how we can have fun in here."

Saori met them when they were leaving the room. She had replaced her usual dress with an explorer outfit according to the situation.

"Saori, are you going out?" asked Shun.

"I'm going to the hospital to see the explorers that got hurt when they touched the armors. I will be ok, guys, you go out and relax."

"One of us can go with you" suggested Shiryu.

"That won't be necessary" said Saori with a smile. "I will be fine."

She left without another word, followed closely by Tatsumi, her ever faithful butler. Seiya and the others left the hotel with the intention of wandering around for a while.

* * *

><p>Haruki was lying on his hospital bed. He kept twitching in his sleep and he could feel as if his entire body was on fire. He woke up startled and realized that something was wrong: even though he knew the lights of the room were on, it was pitch-black. Haruki tried to stand up and then he realized that he was already on his feet.<p>

He was scared to move, as he couldn't see where he was standing or what was surrounding him. He began to fear that something had happened to him when he touched the armor, when he finally glimpsed movement in the shadows.

At first it was just in one spot, then in several places, and later on he realized that he was looking at dead faces, dead humans twitching and screaming all around him. He was about to scream when he saw someone walking towards him, a figure 8 feet tall, with the body of a man and the fierce head of a jackal. Haruki screamed in fear.

"Don't fear me" it said, "for I am you and you are me. We are meant to be one and the same. I am Anubis, judge of the underworld, and you have been chosen by me to fulfill Osiris' plans."

Haruki was about to retort when Anubis' eyes began to glow and he felt as if he lost conscience. Back at the hospital, Haruki opened his eyes from his dream. He was standing by the window looking at the skies. He felt better than ever and full of power.

"Athena" he murmured while he looked in the direction where he knew the temple was located, "you won't stand a chance. With your death, Zeus will pay for stripping our kingdom apart from us."

* * *

><p>Saori got to the hospital a few minutes after she parted from her Saints. She approached the counter and the receptionists greeted her with a smile:<p>

"Can I help you, miss?" she asked.

"My name is Saori Kido. I came to see some of the workers from my exploration team that got injured during an excavation."

"Oh, yes Miss Kido, we just brought them out from ER and they are in their rooms" she handed Saori a notepad for her to sign. "Please, register before entering. You too mister" she added addressing Tatsumi.

They both signed the notepad and the receptionist pointed in the direction they had to go. They walked by a few rooms and then entered another. They were surprised to see Haruki, one of their explorers, standing up looking through the window.

"I've been expecting you, Athena" he greeted and turned around to face them. Tatsumi immediately jumped forward to cover Saori, when they both noticed the dark shadow on Haruki's face and the evil smile.

"Mr. Haruki, are you alright?" asked Saori, trying to stay calm.

"I'm no longer Mr. Haruki. We have become one and you shall now know me as Anubis."

He hadn't finished his presentation when out of sudden a beam of light came through the window, coming from the horizon and in the direction of the temple. Saori and Tatsumi backed away when Mr. Haruki, now Anubis, started to glow with a purple light, and she was able to sense an evil Cosmo radiating from him. Then, a shining beam of light entered through the window and a statue appeared in the center of the room: a golden statue with the body of a man and the head of a jackal, clad in a dark armor.

The armor separated from the statue and attached itself into Anubis: it was made of a strange metal, almost entirely black, with fine silver, gold and emerald lines along the chest plate. The shoulder plates were crafted in the shape of claws, and the helmet had the shape of a jackal head, crowned with the headwear of the pharaohs. A dark mask, matching the helmet, covered his face entirely.

"It is time for you, Olympians, to bow to us" said Anubis, raising his hand, where he held the Sekhem Scepter[i]. "You will come to me and face my father."

"Over my dead body!" yelled Tatsumi, stepping between Anubis and Saori.

"As you wish…" said Anubis, raising his hand. A beam of dark energy erupted from it and hit Tatsumi straight on the chest, sending him flying into the wall and knocking him unconscious. Saori gasped. "Now, Athena, you come with me" he said raising his hand towards her.

* * *

><p>At the Five Old Peaks in China, the Old Master opened his eyes wide. He had felt a Cosmo full of anger awake, disturbing his balance. He was afraid for the first time in many years, as it was his balance what kept the seal over Hades' prison intact.<p>

"What is this evil that I sense?" he asked to himself.

All the way from the Sanctuary, Aries Mu spoke to him through telepathy.

"I sense it too. It came from a distant region, Egypt if I'm not mistaken."

"Athena is in Egypt" thought back the Old Master. "If a war is going to be unleashed, then she is in danger."

"Seiya and the rest are with her" thought Mu. "She will be safe."

"I hope so. If the old legends have turned out true, then I'm quite sure that the Gods of Egypt have awakened."

"If so, then Seiya will defeat them, as he always does. He won't fall to them. Remember that they have reached the level of the Gold Saints. They will win."

"Still, I think it is a good idea to assist. Zeus almost fell to the armies of Ra during their war, ages ago."

"Then, we should head into Egypt."

"Inform me what happens" replied the Old Master, and he closed his eyes in meditation again.

* * *

><p>Seiya and the others arrived at the hospital several minutes later. They had returned to the hotel and were informed by the security team that they had lost contact with the archeologists at the temple, and that Tatsumi had been attacked and Saori had disappeared.<p>

"Sorry kids, this is a crime scene, you can't enter" said one of the Egyptian police officers at the entrance of the hospital.

"It's ok" said one of the security officers from the foundation, standing behind them. "They work for Miss. Kido. They came to see Mr. Tokumaru."

The police officer let them through and led them into Tatsumi's room. The found him lying on a bed, barely conscious, with his chest covered in a bandage slightly tainted with blood. Many machines were connected to him through tubes and electrodes, registering his vitals.

"Mr. Tatsumi!" yelled Shun, and he ran towards the bed and knelt next to it.

"Seiya… Athena…" said Tatsumi with difficulty.

"What happened, Tatsumi? Where's Athena?" asked Seiya.

"Mr. Haruki… Anu… bis… Athena… the Temple…" murmured Tatsumi, falling unconscious.

"Mr. Tatsumi!" said Hyoga. "I think his delusional."

"Seiya" said Shiryu, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "something bad is happening. I can feel a Cosmo full of anger and evil. I think we should head into the excavation site."

"But Shiryu, we have to find Athena!" said Seiya.

"I have a feeling that we will find her there" said Shiryu. His sight was lost in the distance, while he looked at the window as if searching for something in the horizon."

They left Tatsumi's room and were informed by the security that the rest of the injured archeologist had disappeared from their rooms.

"We're heading into the excavation" explained Hyoga. "But we must first go to the hotel and get our cloths."

The security team led them back into the limousine and took them to the hotel. After they got their armor chests, they left on their way to the Temple.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Saori found herself in the middle of the golden room at the temple, chained to a pillar in the middle of the room, with her hands lifted above her head. She saw the rest of his archeologists, the ones that had been injured, all around the room, each one of them next to a God statue. The armors were now covering the archeologists' bodies, each representing an old Egyptian deity: Anubis, Horus, Isis, Set, Ptah and Nephtys. Her main attention however was centered at the black throne at the wall in front of her, and the dark man sitting on it.<p>

The man stood up and stepped forward and Saori was able to see the armor that covered him: a white armor, elegantly crafted, with silver and gold lines along the chest plate and shoulder plates, beautifully designed cape and a helmet adorned with the Atef[ii]. The Eye of Horus was embedded into the abdominal cover of the armor.

"Athena" he said, "welcome to the Temple of Resent. I am Osiris."

"Whatever you're planning to do, you won't be able to" said Saori.

Isis walked forward and slapped Saori, making her cry in pain. She then walked next to Osiris and held his arm, looking at her in contempt.

"You show more respect to the lord of the underworld" said Isis.

"Easy now, my darling" said Osiris. "Athena will soon pay for the offense cast over us by the Olympians. We will regain power over mankind and Ra won't be able to do anything about it. Too long have we waited in the dark."

"Remember, brother" said Set turning around, "Earth is MY domain."

"I no longer care about the overworld" spat Osiris. "With the Armies of the Dead I will be even more powerful than ever."

"You will never win" said Saori. "My saints will find me and rescue me, and then they will find you and defeat you."

"Your saints?" said Anubis with scorn. "They are mere mortals, and we are Gods."

"They are the Saints of Athena" said Saori. "They have endured great trials and difficulties. I have faith in them."

Set laughed at her, but Osiris raised a hand so that he fell silent.

"You seem very sure about yourself, given your situation" said Ptah. He was still resented to Ra for overthrowing him as ruler of the Gods. "You should be begging for mercy."

Saori just closed her eyes and smiled in silence.

"Let's play a game" said Osiris. "This temple will slowly be filled with the sands of the desert. If your so called saints can defeat us all before then, you will be free to go. Else, if we win, you will forever suffer in your sand coffin, and your soul will be cast into the belly of Ammit[iii]."

Saori didn't respond, so Osiris and his followers left the room and sealed it behind them. Saori opened her eyes and saw sand flowing slowly into the room through a small trapdoor in the ceiling.

"Hurry up, Seiya" she thought. "I believe in you."

* * *

><p>Osiris was the first to exit the obelisk, followed closely by Isis and Anubis. They closed the door behind it and the seal of Eye of Horus began to glow. He heard a vehicle approaching, so he turned around just in time to see an all-terrain jeep heading their way. When it stopped, Seiya, Shiryu, Shun and Hyoga jumped out of it and opened their armor chests. Their cloths emerged and covered their bodies, shining under the first rays of sunrise reflected in the sand of the Egyptian desert.<p>

"Where is Athena?" yelled Seiya, adopting a fighting stance. The rest of the Bronze Saints stood behind him in similar poses.

"And you are?" asked Osiris.

"I'm Pegasus Seiya."

"Cygnus Hyoga."

"Andromeda Shun."

"Dragon Shiryu."

"Where is Athena?" asked Seiya again.

"So, you are Athena's Saints" said Isis. "You are just children!"

"Don't underestimate us! Who are you and where is Athena?" yelled Hyoga.

"She is alive… for now" said Anubis. "If you want to rescue her, you will have to defeat us first. But you must defeat us before sunset, or the room where she is will be filled with sand and she will die."

"Then let's start right away!" yelled Seiya, and he lunged forward. "Pegasus Meteor Punch!"

Seiya's attack sent his meteors towards Anubis, but he just laughed and raised a hand, blocking Seiya's attack with no effort.

"Nice try, child. My turn" he said with scorn, and he raised his two hands on either side like if his body was a scale and he was weighting something on either hand. "Final Judgment!" The eyes on Anubis' helmet began to glow, and purple energy beams erupted from each hand into the sky and then fell back down right into Seiya.

He screamed in pain, as he felt as if the heavens themselves had fallen on top of him. The pressure was too high and he felt as if his body was on fire. When the energy dissipated, he fell forward to the floor in pain, feeling as if every bone in his body was broken and his heart ripped apart.

"Seiya!" yelled Shun, and he ran forward. "You won't get away with this!"

"Don't tempt me, child" said Anubis.

"Stop!" yelled Osiris. "You will take all the fun away. Behind the obelisk, you will find four stone paths. You will have to follow them into the desert and find our temples located along the way. At the end, where all roads converge again, you shall find Anubis' Sanctuary and then my own Temple. Seek us there, and fight us to death. Only when you defeat all of us will you be able to save Athena."

Seiya tried to stand up, but his body was barely responding. The others saw the Egyptian Gods turn into energy and fly into the sky, and then scatter in different directions. Shiryu ran towards Seiya and helped him to his feet.

"They're too powerful" said Seiya, still in pain. "I'm not sure if we will win this time."

"For Athena, we must" said Shun.

"For Athena…" said Shiryu, and they looked at the Obelisk, glowing with the first rays of sunlight.

* * *

><p>[i] The Sekhem-scepter is a type of ritual scepter in ancient Egypt. It is a symbol of authority and is often incorporated in names and words associated with power and control. Osiris was often called "the Great Sekhem" or "Foremost of Powers". Hence, the sekhem was often used as a symbol of the underworld deity. This probably led to the scepter also becoming an emblem of Anubis.<p>

[ii] It's the specific feathered white crown of the Egyptian deity Osiris. It combines the Hedjet, the crown of Upper Egypt, with curly red ostrich feathers on each side of the crown for the Osiris cult.

[iii] Ammit ("devourer" or "soul-eater"; also spelled Ammut or Ahemait) was a female demon in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included "Devourer of the Dead", "Eater of Hearts", and "Great of Death". Anubis weighed the heart of a person against the feather of Ma'at, the Goddess of truth, which was depicted as an ostrich feather (the feather was often pictured in Ma'at's headdress). If the heart was judged to be not pure, Ammit would devour it, and the person undergoing judgement was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality. Once Ammit swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called "to die a second time".


	4. Chapter 2

Mu was standing at the entrance of the Aries House. He had been talking to the Old Master through his telepathy and now understood much more about the situation in which Seiya and the others were involved. A few minutes later, Aiolia and the rest of the Gold Saints approached him. He had then explained the legend of the battle of the Gods to the others.

"Are you trying to tell us that these are the actual incarnations of the Egyptian Gods?" asked Aldebaraan.

"That's not the only thing" said Mu. "According to the Old Master, the ancient Gods of Egypt didn't wear traditional armors, but wore what they called 'Amulets', each one forged from the God Khnum himself, the craftsman of the Egyptian Gods, and had been forged with the essence of the stars, and painted with the blood of the God that would wear it."

"So, in other words" said Aldebaraan, "Seiya and the others can't win."

"You are wrong, Taurus Aldebaraan" said Mu. "Don't you remember your own words? You told Seiya that the strength of a saint comes not from his armor, but his Cosmo."

"They were facing us, not Gods" replied Aldebaraan.

"Fenix Ikki defeated me, the Gold Saint closest to the Gods" said Shaka.

"And Seiya defeated Poseidon" added Milo.

"We must trust Seiya and the others" said Shaka. "I have faith that they will save Athena."

"Faith isn't enough" said Aiolia.

"Well" replied Shaka, "that will have to be enough for now."

"They are still only kids" said Aldebaraan. "They are too young and have fought terrible fights and suffered many injuries over the last few weeks, some of which we are responsible."

Milo closed his eyes in remorse. He still remembered how he used his Scarlet Needle attack on Hyoga when he fought him at the Scorpio House, nearly killing him in the process and preventing him from saving Athena.

"They will be facing Gods of ancient times, we were not Gods" persisted Aldebaraan. "They will need help, or else they will die, as will Athena."

"Maybe there's something we can do" said Mu, turning around.

* * *

><p><strong>Courage Seiya! The Golden Guardians<strong>

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling, Seiya?" asked Shun.<p>

"I think I can walk on my own again, thank you Shun" replied Seiya with a smile.

"We should get moving" said Hyoga. "We only have until sunset, and the sun is already rising."

"We should go different ways" suggested Shiryu. "We will meet here when we defeat the Egyptian God incarnations."

They all agreed and parted in different ways, heading each into an Egyptian temple.

Seiya had been running for a while. Osiris had explained that the temples were located in a mile radius from the obelisk, so they had to face the fierce desert in order to get there. The sun was bright in the clear sky, so the heat was starting to affect him. He climbed a hill and saw it in the distance: the first temple.

He ran as fast as he could and entered the temple, finding a statue of Set in the middle of the atrium. At first, it seemed to be that the temple was empty, so Seiya thought that he had gotten to the wrong place. He was about to leave when he felt a powerful Cosmo.

"Who's there?" he yelled.

"You are a brave one, Pegasus Seiya" said a voice, and then he saw a shadow jumping from a column into the ground, just a few meters from Seiya. "I guess you came to fight my master, Set."

"Who are you?" asked Seiya.

"I'm Greyhound Ahmose, guardian of the Temple of Set" said the warrior stepping into the light

Seiya saw the warrior in front of him wasn't Set, but wore his crest on his chest plate, which seemed to be made entirely of pure gold, as was the rest of his armor. His only shoulder pad was shaped like a dog's head and his arm and leg pieces were crafted with intricate hieroglyphs. He had a helmet like the one used by the ancient Egyptian soldiers, also crafted in gold.

"I came to fight Set. Step out of the way" said Seiya.

"The God Set is too much for you" said Ahmose, "he can't waste his time with someone like you, so it will be me who you will fight."

"Then, prepare to fall" said Seiya. "Pegasus Meteor Punch!" he yelled and lunged forward.

The impact of Seiya's attack sent Ahmose into the wall behind him, and he fell to the floor with a groan. Seiya adopted a defensive stance while Ahmose stood up chuckling.

"You are strong, Pegasus, but not strong enough" he said with a smile and then he raised his hands forming a set of fangs in front of him. "Feel the power of my Desert Hound Bite!" he yelled, and began clapping his hands vertically, giving the impression that his fingers were fangs of a beast biting its prey.

Seiya screamed when he felt as if his body were being chewed by a giant beast, and fell to the floor in pain. When Ahmose ceased his attack he laughed at him.

"You are pathetic" he said with contempt.

"Is that all your power?" asked Seiya, standing up again.

"What?" asked Ahmose, raising an eyebrow.

"You will need more than that" said Seiya with a smile.

"As you wish" said Ahmose, and he lunged forward. "Desert Claw Strike!" he yelled, while shaping his hand in a claw-like way and striking Seiya with all his strength.

Seiya received the blow in the head, then on his chest, followed by another on his stomach. One strike after another, Ahmose hit Seiya over and over until he sent him flying towards a crumbling statue.

"You think you can face Set with such weak techniques?" said Ahmose. "You can't even stop my own blows."

Seiya stayed down for a few seconds. He felt how Ahmose's blows had hurt him like if they were real claws… he could feel blood dripping from his arm and he was sure he had at least one broken rib.

"He is strong" he thought. "But I must save Athena. I must defeat Set so I can rescue her."

He stood up, pain racing all over his body, and began charging his Cosmo. He could feel every cell in his body, every slight breeze, even the sounds of his bones when he moved.

Ahmose stepped back; he could feel the energy flowing from Seiya.

"Your Ka[i]…" said Ahmose, his voice trembling a bit. "How can it grow like this?"

"I am a Saint of Athena. My will is unbreakable and it is my duty to protect her. Pegasus Meteor Punch!" yelled Seiya, attacking Ahmose once more.

This time, Seiya's attack hit Ahmose full on his chest. He felt how each blow pierced his golden armor, slowly cracking it and turning it to splinters of gold. Seiya then jumped behind Ahmose and lifted him into the air.

"Pegasus Rolling Crash!" he yelled, while he raised Ahmose spinning into the air in a hurricane of light and then dropped him heavily straight on the head, breaking Ahmose's helmet into pieces and creating a large crater on the floor.

Ahmose stayed face down on the floor, shaking in pain. Seiya approached him and looked down at him.

"I… I can't… how could you…" he stuttered.

"My will to save Athena is what helps me to keep fighting" said Seiya. "That is what moves us towards victory."

"Victory…" murmured Ahmose and then, to Seiya's surprise, he began laughing. "You won't attain victory…" he murmured again. "Set is a God, and they don't have normal armors. They wear Amulets, crafted by the craftsman God Khnum himself. You will never be able to hurt any of them!"

"What?" asked Seiya, but Ahmose began to twitch in pain and then stayed still in silence.

"What could he have meant by Amulets?" asked Seiya to himself.

"I think you will soon find out" said a voice from the dark. Seiya saw Set, coming forward from the shadows into the sunlight. "I hope you are ready to die" he said with a wicked grin.

Shun entered the temple of Isis. All around the atrium, old pillars were crumbling into ruins. He had the strange feeling of being watched, but nobody seemed to be around. Suddenly, his chain began to twitch and pointed directly above him. Shun moved just in time to avoid being stomped by the soldier that landed right where he had been standing, creating a small crater.

"You are fast, boy" said the warrior with a female voice.

"You are a woman!" said Shun in surprise.

"Cobra Nephis" she introduced herself, turning around and facing Shun. "If you want to face Isis, you will have to face me first."

* * *

><p>[i] The Ka was the Egyptian concept of vital essence, that which distinguishes the difference between a living and a dead person, with death occurring when the ka left the body.<p> 


	5. Chapter 3

Shun looked straight at the enemy in front of him. She was clad in a beautiful armor made of gold, with fine lines that delicately followed the curves of her body, especially the chest plate, which was shaped to protect her breasts. She had no shoulder plates, her arm plates covering her from wrist to elbow, and her helmet resembled the shape of a cobra, with fangs protruding over her light brown eyes. Her black hair was braided all the way down to her waist and it was adorned with what seemed to be golden snake scales.

* * *

><p><strong>Resist Shun! The Venomous Egyptian Cobra<strong>

* * *

><p>"The Egyptian Cobra is the guardian and protector of the pharaoh and the Gods" she explained to him. "It is directly associated to the Goddess Wadjet."<p>

"I won't fight you" said Shun. "It is Isis whom I came to find."

"You plan to fight her instead?" asked Nephis, and then she started to laugh. "You wouldn't stand a chance, not even for a minute."

"I don't intend to fight her" said Shun. "I wish to talk to her and try to convince her to stop this maddness. Isis is supposed to be the Goddess of Life, she shouldn't be doing this."

Nephis began to laugh at him and raised a hand above her head, circling it with her other hand. Shun saw that she had two fingers pointed at him, both fingernails pointy and sharp.

"The Goddess Isis would never help Athena. Die, Andromeda! Cobra Bite!"

"Rolling Defense!" yelled Shun, raising his arm and making his circular chain spiral around him. It was a surprise to him when the two beams that were shot from Nephis' fingers went straight through his barrier and pierced trough his chest plate, barely missing his heart.

Shun screamed in pain and fell to the ground, his chain once more falling still all around him.

"How did she..." murmured Shun, holding his right hand to his chest and pressing hard to stop the bleeding.

"You can't block my attack with such a futile technique" said Nephis with scorn.

Shun tried to get up, but his sight was getting blurry and his legs didn't respond properly.

"It's useless" said Nephis. "You have been bitten by the cobra, and the poison is starting to flow through your veins. Allow me to ease your sorrows." She then raised her hand again and Shun looked up feeling helpless. He then remembered a conversation he had with his master before he acquired the Andromeda Cloth:

* * *

><p><em>Shun was only a child then, a brief two years after he arrived to the Andromeda Island. One day, he fell into a dark pit. It was only a few seconds before he realized he was surrounded by snakes, all hissing at him for having disturbed their nests.<em>

_He began to scream and cry, fearing for his life while tears rolled down his cheeks blurring his vision. Some of the snakes hissed even more, annoyed by his cries and a couple of them lurched menacing at him, showing their poisonous fangs._

_"__Brother! Where are you brother!?" he cried, well aware that Ikki was thousands of miles away, facing his own trials in place of Shun, at the Death Queen Island._

_One of the vipers, wishing for the annoying whines to stop, curled and lunged towards Shun, who cried in fear as he saw the reptile showing its fangs, wishing to sink them into Shun's flesh._

_Something awoke in him, and with one swift move he slashed the air with his hand stretched and sliced the snake in half._

_He felt his Cosmo rapidly growing while the rest of the snakes hissed and lunged at him._

_There was a flash, and Shun saw a glint of metal as one by one the snakes fell dead, their heads rolling on the floor having been severed from their bodies. He saw the chain that had slain the serpents retract and then Cepheus Albior jumped in next to him. Shun cried again and hid his face in embarrassment for showing such weakness in front of his master._

_"__Shun" Albior had called him, "there is one thing that you must always remember. Every enemy that attacks you is only doing it for one of three reasons: he sees you as a rival in achieving a certain goal, thinks of you as a menace and is afraid of you, or thinks that you are better than him and is jealous of you. You must learn to realize the real purpose of your enemies' attack, so you can exploit it to your advantage. Also, when facing an enemy, always find their weak spot. Only then, will you be able to counter his attack."_

* * *

><p>Shun looked at Nephis, who was looking at him with her face full of contempt. Suddenly he realized what her weakness was: snakes were killed by severing their heads, and Nephis wasn't protecting herself while posing for her attack. Shun took the chance and stood up as fast as he could, increasing his Cosmo nearly to the limit.<p>

"Nebula Chain!" he yelled, tossing his right arm forward. His chain shot straight forward, to Nephis' surprise, and before she could react Shun's chain struck its mark: it hit Nephis' helmet right in the middle, cracking it into pieces, and then wrapped itself around her neck.

"Thunder Wave!" yelled Shun, and Nephis cried in pain while the electricity from Shun's chain pierced her body. Shun then pulled his chain as hard as he could, and tossed Nephis into the air in a wide arc. She screamed all the way until she was slammed into the floor behind Shun.

He ran towards her, reeling back his chain, and saw her face covered in blood.

"Nephis!" he called her, but then he fell to his knees, feeling weaker by the effect of the venom in his blood.

"How...?" began Nephis, trying hard to stand up. "You will pay for this" she said in a menacing tone.

"Nephis, don't..." begged Shun. "You have lost already. I have severed the head of the snake. You are too weak now. I don't want to kill you."

"Die, Andromeda!" yelled Nephis, using all of her remaining strength to stand still and raise her hands.

Shun tried to stand up as well, but his strength was already slipping away and he fell face down again. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning, and Nephis screamed in pain while bolts struck her. She also felt as if she were being squeezed by a gigantic serpent herself. A figure struck Nephis and sent her flying into a pillar, turning it into rubble.

"Who... who dared to... to attack me?" asked Nephis, trying hard to stand up again.

Shun made an effort to look up and was surprised to see who his savior was.

"It was me" she said behind her mask, her purple armor shining under the sun, "Silver Saint Ophiucus Shaina!"

"You will regret what you did" said Nephis in anger. With the little strength that was left in her she raised her hands above her head. "Cobra Bite!" she yelled and the two beams shot straight towards Shaina.

"You idiot! I've been watching your fight and know your technique!" yelled Shaina, easily dodging Nephis' attack and raising her own hand. "Thunder Claw!"

Nephis received the impact of Shaina's attack and was sent flying again, hitting a wall and crumbling into the floor with her already cracked golden armor torn to pieces.

"I'm... sorry... my Lady... my Goddess..." said Nephis while Shaina approached her; then, she closed her eyes and died.

Shaina stood there, looking at Nephis's body, and then she ran back to Shun, who was losing consciousness.

"Shun!" she called him, trying to wake him up. "Resist, Shun!" she called him again, holding him with one arm. She then reached for her pocket and took out a small flask with an green liquid inside. She opened it and emptied it inside Shun's mouth.

A few seconds later, she felt how he began to regain his senses.

"Sh... Shaina!" He said in surprise, slowly waking up. "How...?"

"I just gave you and antidote for the poison" she explained.

"Where's Seiya?"

Shun stood up, feeling slightly better as time went by.

"We went different ways" explained Shun. "He went to the temple of Set."

"I have a message for him from Aries Mu" she said. "I must find him."

"But first..." said another female voice. "You will have to pay for what you did to my guardian."

Shun and Shaina turned around just to see Isis stepping into the light. Shun looked at his chain: it wasn't moving.


	6. Chapter 4

Shiryu arrived to the Temple of Ptah when the sun was already high into the sky, after having walked for several miles into the desert. He raised his hand to shade his eyes and looked around, trying to find some sign of the God that inhabited the temple.

A few meters away, he saw a door that led to what seemed to be a long dark corridor, so he went that way. Inside he kept walking until the corridor turned into a large room. In the middle of it, Shiryu saw a stone statue that represented an Ox.

"This can't be" murmured Shiryu to himself. "I thought this was the temple of Ptah."

"It IS the temple of Ptah" said a deep voice from behind the statue.

Shiryu raised his shield when he saw a strong built warrior coming into the light. He was clad in a gold armor and had horns that resembled those of Taurus Aldebaraan, with the solar disc between them, and his armor was more elegant and lighter than Taurus'. His chest plate and shoulder plates were carved with hieroglyphs and his horned helmet was adorned with the symbol of Ptah. He had a slight grin across his dark skinned face.

* * *

><p><strong>Rise Dragon! Apis: The Emissary Ox<strong>

* * *

><p>"Welcome, Dragon Shiryu" he greeted. "My master has told me that you would come.<p>

"Who are you?" asked Shiryu in surprise. "Where is Ptah?"

"The God Ptah has better things to do, other than facing a wimp like you. As for who I am... I'm Ox Amman, representing the emissary of Ptah, Apis. I am the guardian of this temple and your opponent."

Shiryu and Amman both stood still, looking into each other's eyes, until Amman and bowed his head forward.

"If you don't attack, I will. Solar Horn Assault!" he yelled, as he charged at Shiryu who got full impact into his chest. He was tossed across the room and crashed against the top of the door and fell to the floor.

"Your armor is indeed that of a dragon" said Amman. "You should be dead after receiving my attack."

"My armor is the hardest of all and my shield is the strongest shield" said Shiryu, while standing up, "and I have awoken the 7th sense. Rozan Rising Dragon Punch!" he launched his attack at Amman.

"Child's play" said Amman, and he raised a hand at Shiryu receiving his attack with his palm and stopping it without effort.

Shiryu looked at his opponent, unable to believe that he had stopped his dragon punch with such ease.

"My turn?" said Amman with a smile. "Pharaoh's Curse!" he yelled, both hands raised palm down at Shiryu.

Shiryu raised his shield, but nothing happened, or at least that's what he thought. He lowered his shield and realized that everything was going dark. He looked around, realizing that everything was now fading away. He looked at Amman, but he couldn't see him anymore.

"What's this?" he asked.

"You have been affected by the curse of the pharaoh" he heard Amman. "Soon, all of your senses will fade away and so will your life. You won't be able to fight."

Shiryu began feeling how his body slowly ceased to respond. He tried to move, but his body was feeling heavier with each second. Then, he heard the voice of the Old Master in his head.

"Shiryu..." he said, "remember when you were in the Gemini House you escaped from the illusion created by Gemini Saga and managed to get through. You don't need your senses to find your enemy and see the truth."

Shiryu closed his eyes, though he couldn't see anything anyways, and tried to focus his Cosmo.

"It's useless" said Amman. "You will soon die."

"You know the difference between the two of us?" asked Shiryu. "I fight moved by the bonds of friendship that tie me with Seiya and the others, the hope that fills my heart for justice, and my will to fulfill my duty to protect Athena."

Amman backed away. He could feel Shiryu's Cosmo rapidly increasing.

"Impossible" he said. He could feel how his Pharaoh's Curse started to lose effect over Shiryu, who steadily began regaining control of his senses and his body.

"Receive the fury of Rozan Soaring Mountain Dragon!" screamed Shiryu, while concentrating his full Cosmo in his right fist.

Amman backed away, as he saw the dragon-shaped wave that erupted from Shiryu's fist flying straight at him. He raised both hands and tried to stop the attack, but the intensity of it was too high, and he saw with fear how his arm plates began to crack and then broke down into splinters of gold. Then he was tossed back into the statue of Apis turning it into pebbles.

Shiryu lowered his arm and looked at his opponent, who was lying on the floor immobile. He walked towards him and saw him, eyes closed, with a thread of blood running from his mouth. Suddenly, Amman opened his eyes, performed a somersault, and bowed his head giving Shiryu full view of the solar disc between his horns.

Shiryu raised his shield in surprise, ready to block Amman's incoming attack, but the only thing that happened was that the solar disc began to shine with the full intensity of the sun. Shiryu closed his eyes too late. He fell on his knees in pain, just as he felt his eyes as if they were on fire.

"You nearly got me with that last one" said Amman, raising his head again, the solar disc returning to normal. "That won't happen again. I just blinded you, so you'd be wise to give up."

Shiryu got up once more, his eyes still hurting from Amman's attack. Even though he was blind, he could still feel Amman's Cosmo right in front of him. He realized that, even though Amman kept boasting, his Cosmo was getting weaker, meaning that his attack had actually had effect on him. Having discovered his enemy's bluff, Shiryu raised his hands again getting ready for another attack.

"What are you doing?" asked Amman in surprise, finally getting nervous. "You can't fight like that. Do you really want to die?"

"I'm not going to die today" said Shiryu. "I only need to strike you one more time and you'll be done."

"You idiot!" yelled Amman. "I am a servant of the Gods! Die, Dragon Shiryu! Solar Horn Assault!" he lunged forward, lowering his horns."

"Rozan Rising Dragon Punch!" yelled Shiryu, a dragon erupting from his fist as he performed an uppercut.

Amman received full impact of Shiryu's attack. He felt as if the dragon was curling itself around him, crushing every bone in his body as he was raised into the air by Shiryu's attack. His armor shattered and he spewed some blood as the dragon opened his mouth and swallowed him, bringing him down to the floor. He landed on his head splitting his helmet in two. He knew then that he had lost.

Shiryu lowered his fist and fell on his knees. His eyes were still hurting and he couldn't see. He crawled to where he sensed Amman's Cosmo fading away and he heard him coughing.

"You fought well, Dragon Shiryu" said Amman in agony. "Relish on this victory, as my lord Ptah won't be so easy."

"Athena will lead me to victory" said Shiryu, closing his now useless eyes. "Even if I can't see my opponent, I will protect Athena with my own life."

"That will suffice to Ptah" coughed Amman. "He is the Lord of Truth, so he will be able to impose his judgment on you and strike you down."

Amman coughed some more blood and twitched. He smiled one more time, closed his eyes and stayed still.

"Fascinating, Dragon Shiryu" said a low voice.

Shiryu stood up and went into a defensive stance. He could sense a Cosmo approaching, but he didn't know exactly where it came from.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"I am the lord of this house, Ruler of Truth, I am Ptah."

* * *

><p>The Old Master was meditating at his usual place when he heard the voice of Aries Mu in his head:<p>

"Old Master, we're ready" he said.

"Not yet" replied the Old Master. "We must wait for the proper time."

"The others are getting impatient" said Mu.

"Don't lose hope yet" said the Old Master. "We must have faith in them."

"Shaina hasn't found Seiya yet" replied Mu. "She found Andromeda Shun badly injured and she stopped to heal him, but now the Goddess Isis has appeared to them both. She is a Silver Saint, but is still too far below their level. She can't face Isis on her own."

"Maybe there is another way" said the Old Master, and he explained his idea to Mu.


	7. Chapter 5

The sun was already high into the sky. The heat of the desert was rising in waves of burning fumes, and Hyoga felt as if he was walking through hell itself. Last time he felt this much heat was when he battled Merak Beta Hägen back in Asgard and, even then, the cold winds that entered the cavern where they fought countered some of the heat from the magma pools inside.

In an attempt to counter some of the heat, he concentrated his Cosmo trying to generate some cold waves, but his head was aching too much due to the sun shining above his head and he couldn't focus. Suddenly, the sand began to twirl around him. He looked around and saw waves of sand circling him in a funnel-like way, forcing him to sink down. Before he had time to react, he felt as if something grabbed his legs and yanked him downwards, and he fell through the sand into an underground cavern.

He hit the floor face first and cried in pain. Slowly trying to stand up, he assessed his surroundings and saw holes opening all around him on the ceiling, through which the sunlight filtered. The cave was entirely made of stone, and the heat from above began to filter into the room through the holes, building up inside the cavern. Directly in front of him, carved into the wall across the cavern, was the façade and entrance to what seemed to be an enormous mausoleum.

"I have been expecting you" echoed a voice around the cavern.

"Who's there?" asked Hyoga, adopting a defensive stance.

A dark shadow came out of the mausoleum. As he walked below one of the holes in the ceiling, sunlight shone on him revealing a gold armored warrior. His chest plate was shaped like an ancient Egyptian beetle with its wings spread upwards forming two shoulder plates. He wore a sort of diadem with a beetle-shaped emerald in the middle and wings covering his ears.

* * *

><p><strong>Beware Hyoga! The Cursed Scarab of the Desert<strong>

* * *

><p>"I'm Sacred Scarab Khalid, guardian of the Mausoleum of Nephtys" he said. "You must be Cygnus Hyoga."<p>

"How do you know who I am?" asked Hyoga.

"The Goddess Nephtys asked me to dispose of you in her behalf" replied Khalid.

Sweat was running down Hyoga's face. The heat building all around the cave was unbearable.

"Then I will defeat you and then I will fight Nephtys."

"Like if you could" said Khalid. "You haven't started attacking me and you are already sweating."

"The heat won't stop me" said Hyoga as he posed his attack stance and smiled. "Step out of the way! Diamond Dust!" he yelled as he swung his hands forward, sending beams of ice crystals towards his enemy.

Khalid smiled and jumped to dodge the attack. While in the air, he spread his arms on both sides as he fell towards Hyoga.

"Sacred Scarab Wing!" he yelled.

Hyoga was sent flying against the stone wall, screaming in pain as the heated rocks burnt his skin. He fell to the ground and Khalid laughed hard at him.

"You can't fight in the heat, can you?" he asked mockingly. "You have been weakened by the fierce desert sun."

"I can fight…" groaned Hyoga, as he stood up. "I will crush you like the insect you are."

"May Anubis have mercy on your soul" said Khalid, and he lunged forward. "Sacred Scarab Solar Roll!"

Hyoga tried to dodge him, but Khalid held him tight, jumped with him while rolling and made a long arc across the cave. Hyoga felt as if he was being burnt alive. Khalid then tossed him into the floor, stepped on his head sinking it to the ground and jumped backwards again.

Mu was standing in full meditation at the entrance of the Aries House when he felt Hyoga's Cosmo fading. He opened his eyes and turned around to look at the other Gold Saints who were behind him.

"It's Hyoga" he murmured. "He is losing his strength."

The others stared at him, despair starting to crawl into their hearts.

"I don't care if the Old Master disapproves" began Aiolia, "I can't stand this anymore."

"No, Aiolia." said Shaka. "Be patient."

Aiolia turned his back on them and left the room.

"I think the same as him" said Aldebaraan. "There is too much at stake to sit here waiting for Seiya and the others to die at the hands of the Egyptian Gods and fail to rescue Athena."

Mu stood in silence, looking back into the skies and hoping with all his heart that they were doing the right thing.

Hyoga felt every bone and muscle of his body throbbing in pain. His mind was going blank and he knew his conscious was fading. He could hear Khalid walking towards him, and then felt he was kicked in the chest, being sent into the wall again and crumbling to the floor. He could see his friends looking at him from the distance on his mind.

"Hyoga…" he heard the voice of Saori. "Resist, Hyoga!" she urged him.

"Athena…" he murmured. "Athena…"

"Don't give up, Hyoga" said Shun's voice. "I know you can win!"

Then, he heard the voice of his late master, Aquarius Camus, speaking to him:

"Focus your Cosmo, Hyoga" he said.

"Master Camus…" murmured Hyoga.

"Are you ready to die?" asked Scarab Khalid. "Let me grant you your wish. Scarab Wave!" he yelled, lifting his palms towards Hyoga.

A horde of black scarabs erupted from his Cosmo and flew straight at Hyoga. When they were about to hit, he opened his eyes and his Cosmo began to grow. One after the other, the scarabs froze and crashed into his cloth, shattering into shards of ice.

"What?" asked Khalid in shock.

"I told you" said Hyoga, standing up while the stone floor around him began to freeze, and tiny snowflakes began to fall. He swung his arms on each side of his body, performing his Cygnus attacking ritual. He then raised his hands and held them above his head. "I will crush you. Aurora Thunder Attack!" he yelled, and swung down his hands.

Khalid received the impact fully in the chest, the icy whirlwind sending him into the façade of the mausoleum. He felt how his limbs froze and, when he fell to the ground, his frozen armor shattered into pieces.

"How did… how…?" he stuttered from the iced floor.

Hyoga walked by him, heading into the entrance of the mausoleum. He was about to enter when he heard Khalid laughing. He turned around and saw the guardian standing up with difficulty, due to his frozen limbs.

"Do you intend to keep fighting?" asked Hyoga.

"You won't reach my lady Nephtys" replied Khalid, agony noticeable in every word. "Die, Cygnus Hyoga!" he then jumped into the air and spread his arms again. "Sacred Scarab Wing!"

"Ice Tornado!" yelled Hyoga, while performing an uppercut at the precise moment that he had Scarab Khalid in front of him.

Khalid rose into the air in the middle of a whirlwind of snow and ice, went straight out through one of the holes in the ceiling of the cave and fell once more to the stone floor, blood spilling out from his mouth and life finally abandoning him.

Hyoga turned around and entered the mausoleum, searching for the Goddess that inhabited it.


	8. Chapter 6

The Old Master looked up. The moment had finally arrived. He contacted Mu through his telepathy:

"Mu… it's time" he told him.

"Old Master?" replied Mu.

"The guardians have fallen" announced the Old Master.

At the entrance of the Aries House, Mu turned around and faced the rest of the Gold Saints. The all stared at him in anticipation. Mu's eyes went from Aiolia to Shaka, then to Milo and finally to Aldebaraan. He nodded at the four of them and they ran past him out of the House. Then, Mu looked again into the skies, stood there for a few minutes, and exited the House himself.

The Old Master stared into the waterfall, sensing an evil force stirring around him, and wishing his all his heart for Seiya and the others to succeed.

* * *

><p><strong>Set! The God of Destruction<strong>

* * *

><p>Seiya flew into a wall for the third time. All his attempts to hit Set had been futile so far and his cloth was beginning to show battle scars all across its surface. He stood up again with pain and looked at the God in front of him. He was clad in a sand-colored armor, its chest plate full of hieroglyphs which represented the four elements of nature: fire, earth, water and wind. The rest of the armor was relatively plain, save for the helmet, which had the shape of a greyhound's head.<p>

"Why do you insist?" asked Set. "You can't win."

"Our duty is to protect Athena" said Seiya.

"Athena… ATHENA!?" yelled Set and he lunged forward taking Seiya by surprise and connecting a direct punch to his abdomen, which sent him flying into a column. "Athena will soon be dead… and so will you!"

"You… you…" stuttered Seiya.

"Weakling... you shouldn't lower your guard in front of an enemy, especially a God" mocked Set with a laugh.

"You will need... more than that... to defeat me..." said Seiya while standing up again.

"Then come on... fight..." dared him Set.

Seiya lurched forward and concentrated all his strength and his Cosmo into his attack.

"Pegasus Meteor Punch!" he yelled, sending his attack towards the smiling God.

His attack finally hit Set straight into the chest, but he didn't even move or tried to block him. Seiya persisted in his attack until he realized that Set didn't even flinch, but kept smiling all along.

"Im... impossible..." murmured Seiya. "His armor isn't even cracked."

"You stupid mortal..." said Set with scorn. "We don't wear anything like your useless armors. We wear Amulets, crafted by Khnum from the dust that formed the universe and bathed in the blood of the God that wears it. You will never be able to hurt me!"

Set moved then so fast that Seiya realized it only when the blow had already struck him. He flew up into the air and fell in front of Set, who kicked him sending him into the opposite wall.

Seiya screamed in pain and spat some blood on the floor when he tried to get up. He was beginning to feel desperate. He stood up again and a thread of blood began to trail down his face.

"It doesn't matter how many times you hit me" he said, "I will never give up."

"That's a stupid thing to say" said Set. "I'm a God, remember?"

"Even a God can bleed" said Seiya. His Cosmo began to grow and he jumped towards Set, fist raised, and started to spin. "Pegasus Comet Punch!"

Set felt Seiya's Cosmo greatly increase and lifted a hand to try to deflect his attack, but the strength of it made him recede a few meters.

"That was close" he thought.

"Impossible..." said Seiya, after jumping backwards again, out of Set's reach.

"You are strong, for a mortal" said Set. "But strength isn't enough. My Amulet will protect me even from your greatest attack, and increase the effectiveness of mine."

"What...?" said Seiya, not wanting to believe that Set was invincible.

"I have always been considered a destroyer God. I control the forces of nature and the desert" he explained while pointing at the hieroglyphs on his chest. The one representing earth began to glow and Set extended his arms forward. Seiya felt Set's Cosmo increasing exponentially. "Let me give you a taste of my power: Desert Sand Storm Attack!"

Seiya jumped as high as possible, in an attempt to dodge the attack, but the sand wave that rose all around him engulfed him and he felt as if fists of rock were hitting him all around and, even though he tried hard, he wasn't able to dodge any.

Set was laughing hard, and Seiya couldn't help but think that this time they may not win the fight.

* * *

><p>Marin was far away from the Sanctuary, having embarked on a personal secret mission on her own. She looked into the sky, feeling that something was not right. She had been feeling a dark power looming over the world for a while, but couldn't really understand what was going on.<p>

Suddenly, Marin felt how Seiya's Cosmo, with whom she shared a strong connection, began to fade away. She looked around; she didn't know what to do. It was important for her to continue her mission, both for her and Seiya. She simply lowered her face and prayed.

* * *

><p>Seiya stood up again. Judging for the pain on his side, he was sure he had some more broken ribs. He looked up at Set in anger.<p>

"You'd better quit… Athena's Saint" said the God with contempt.

"I will never stop fighting" replied Seiya. "My duty is to protect Athena!"

"Then I'll have to kill you" said Set, and he raised his arms while looking into the Sky. The symbol representing fire on his Amulet lit up. "Divine Fire Tornado!"

A blast of energy erupted from his Cosmo and formed a column of light, which slowly transformed into fire. Seiya saw it moving fast towards him and used all his strength to jump sideways, barely dodging it. He saw a scorched trail behind it.

"How did you dodge my Divine Fire Tornado?" asked Set, perplexed and amused.

"I have managed to awaken the 7th sense, and that allows me to see your attack and move at the speed of light" replied Seiya, moving his hands in front of him in the form of the Pegasus constellation, as his Cosmo grew exponentially. "My will to save Athena will help me achieve victory."

Set realized how Seiya's cloth had started to shine, suddenly becoming bright as pure gold.

"You can't fool me with your tricks" said Set with a smirk. "Die, Pegasus! Wrath of the Nile!" he yelled while throwing a punch at him as his water symbol lit.

Seiya saw how a wave rose behind Set, as if a giant tsunami roared towards him. Seiya felt something growing within him. His cloth began shining stronger than ever and he was sure he could feel a warm Cosmo protecting him: Athena's.

"ATHENA!" screamed Seiya with rage, and he raised his hands just in time to stop Set's attack.

The pressure from the waves surrounding him was almost unbearable. Seiya felt how his arm plates cracked under the pressure. Set ceased his attack and looked at Seiya, more surprised than ever. How was it possible than a mere mortal could take in an attack from a God?

Seiya fell on his knees and raised his eyes to look at Set. His entire body was soaked and aching, but he felt more confident than he did before.

* * *

><p>Saori opened her eyes and saw the room where she was still held prisoner. The sand was filling the room to the level of her knees already and her arms where in pain for being chained in the same position for so long. She could feel the Cosmo of her Saints fluctuating, trying hard as they were to defeat the Gods and rescue her.<p>

A tear rolled down her cheek and she smiled. She could also feel some powerful Cosmos approaching Seiya and the others. She knew who they were.

"They have come…" she murmured with a smile, and then she closed her eyes again.

* * *

><p>Seiya and Set were looking into each other's eyes from the 5 feet that separated them. Seiya then lunged towards Set with his fist raised. "Pegasus Comet Punch!"<p>

Set raised a hand to block him but, suddenly, Seiya's cloth became shiny as gold once more and the strength of his Comet Punch broke through his barrier, sending Set flying into the farthest wall. He crashed into the floor and quickly stood up, looking at Seiya with anger on his face and murder in his heart.

"I don't know how you did that" he spat at Seiya, "but you can be sure it will never happen again. Divine Fire Tornado!"

Seiya was about to receive the impact of Set's attack when he was pushed aside and was tossed into a pillar, crumbling into the floor. He saw a glint of gold and then the fire column colliding against whoever had pushed him. When the fire dissipated, while he tried to stand up again, Seiya saw a strong-built shadow emerging from the smoke.

"Who dares to interfere with my battle?" asked Set in shock.

"It is I who will be your opponent now, Set" said a firm voice, well known to Seiya. The smoke dispersed at last, revealing the Golden Clothed Saint within. "Prepare to face the power of Gold Saint Leo Aiolia!"


	9. Author's Notice

**Brief Author's Notice:**

As you may have guessed, the next chapters will have more involvement from the Gold Saints. So I can write properly about them, I'm currently engaged in reading the Episode G manga. As soon as I finish with it (currently in chapter 7/87) I will resume the story.

Se ya!


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